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Phase 3 melanoma vaccine
Moderna and Merck announced on Wednesday (19.08.2026) that their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine intismeran, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, produced “resultados prometedores” in a Phase 3 trial for melanoma.
“La biotecnológica Moderna y la farmacéutica MSD divulgaron el miércoles (19.08.2026) unos resultados prometedores”
The trial enrolled 1.137 patients who had already undergone surgery to remove a melanoma, and the companies said the regimen aimed to reduce the risk that the cancer would reappear.
In an interim analysis, intismeran in combination with Keytruda met its objectives in patients with melanoma cutáneo in estadios IIB, IIC, III o IV who had not received prior systemic treatment, and the study would continue to evaluate other secondary outcomes including “supervivencia global.”
Georgina Long, investigadora principal del estudio y directora médica del Melanoma Institute Australia, said in the companies’ note that “Los resultados de hoy representan un momento histórico para el tratamiento adyuvante del melanoma.”
Stéphane Bancel, director ejecutivo de Moderna, said in the same announcement that “Durante muchos años, la idea de crear un tratamiento de ARNm diseñado específicamente para el cáncer de cada paciente era una aspiración.”
Quotes, endpoints, and debate
NBC News said the companies had not published the results in a peer-reviewed journal or released the new data, adding that they would be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and shared with regulators.
In the same coverage, NBC News reported that interim results showed the vaccine-drug combo appeared to extend the time before cancer returned in high-risk patients, while the companies did not say for how long, and that the late-stage study enrolled 1,137 patients randomized to receive either the vaccine-drug combo or Keytruda alone for about a year.
Reuters said the companies tested the vaccine together with Keytruda in a late-stage trial and that the personalized mRNA vaccine reduced the risk of recurrence and spread of melanoma, with the companies describing it as the first positive late-stage trial result for an mRNA cancer vaccine.
Reuters quoted Karen Knudsen, CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, saying, "The positive hit here leads us into truly this next phase in immunotherapy," and NBC News quoted Stéphane Bancel in its release as saying, “These Phase 3 findings represent a pivotal moment for the field of cancer research.”
What happens next
The companies said the study would continue to assess overall survival rates, and Reuters reported that they had not yet provided results on overall survival, describing it as a secondary endpoint that measures whether patients live longer than those who do not.
“Thousands of patients who have undergone surgery to remove high-risk melanoma tumors could benefit as soon as next year if regulators approve the vaccine”
NBC News said the companies had not published their results in a peer-reviewed journal and had not released the new data, while also reporting that the study did not find any new safety concerns according to the release.
Reuters reported that Moderna President Stephen Hoge said the companies could benefit “as soon as next year if regulators approve the vaccine,” and that the companies were already in talks with regulators about the treatment.
In parallel, The Independent quoted Dr. Nina Bhardwaj of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai saying, “It remains to be seen when doctors could access the drug combo,” while also noting that the companies did not say how long patients taking the drug combination lived without their cancer progressing.
The Independent also quoted Dr. Karen Knudsen of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy describing the approach as an “important advance” toward more precise cancer drugs, while Dr. Michael Postow of Memorial Sloan Kettering said researchers were still waiting on full data from the trial.
